Men's Basketball Mauled In Tigers' Den

LIVINGSTON, Ala.—The Barry Buccaneers dropped their final game 71-61 at the West Alabama Thanksgiving Classic to the host Tigers in Pruitt Hall on Saturday.

The Bucs (3-2) closed the gap to just two points, 54-52 on a layup by Aaron Martin with 7:03 left, but went cold from the field down the stretch, missing 16 of their last 18 shots from the field. Overall, the Bucs shot just 24.2 percent from the field and were out-rebounded 45-37.

The Tigers (2-2) jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first four minutes and Kyle Belcher hit a three pointer at the buzzer to send West Alabama into the locker room with a 10-point lead, 36-26. In between, the Bucs cut the lead to four twice at 12-8 and 22-18.

The Bucs shot just 28.6 percent in the first half and were out-rebounded 24-15. The Tigers scored 22 of their 36 points in the paint and nine came on second chances.

Bryan Van Cott led the Bucs with 18 points, while Martin had 13 and Justin McCoy added 12. Sandy Underwood led the Tigers with 26 points and Belcher came off the bench with 17 before fouling out.

The Bucs are off for the next two weeks, returning to the court on Dec. 14 hosting the St. Thomas Bobcats.